Open Communication and the Local Church
“Leadership is about relationships, and because social technologies are changing relationships, leadership also needs to change”
(Open Leadership Audiobook – Chapter 7).
OPEN LEADERSHIP
I have been listening to the audiobook “Open Leadership” by Charlene Li over the past few weeks. Li is a social media expert and consultant. I listened as the topic of openness in the businesses and other organizations was discussed, especially as it related to technology and social media.
A lot of the book addresses the level of openness an organization has as it relates to the public. While this is not exclusive of social media, the book has some great examples of how social media can either help or hinder an organization.
One example is the story of singer/songwriter Dave Carroll who witnessed his guitar being thrown around by United Airlines baggage handlers from the window of his airplane. Upon arrival, he indeed found his Taylor guitar broken. Unfortunately, United Airlines refused to take responsibility. Carroll fought back the only way he knew how… he wrote a song about the experience and posted the video “United Breaks Guitar” on YouTube.
The video went viral, which was a publicity disaster for United Airlines. “United Breaks Guitars” is approaching 18 million views on YouTube.
This was just one illustration of an organization realizing the importance of social media in relating to the public. Other illustrations were more positive, like the creation of ideastorm.com by the computer giant Dell. This site allows the public to contribute to ideas that they would like to see Dell develop. It has been a massive success.
More than just a book about big business, Open Leadership has a lot of insights that relate to local churches. Most churches in America have websites and Facebook pages. Many have YouTube channels and Instagram Accounts. Yet, how many churches are utilizing these resources to their fullest potential? Can church leaders verbalize a strategy for their online presence? Do most churches provide written guidelines for to those who contribute online? My guess would be that these are areas that churches are deficient.
Why is this? After all, churches are unique organizations whose participation is solely voluntary. While the mission of the church is NOT to make churchgoers happy, most churches want to foster positive relationships among members. Since many church members spend a significant time online, church leaders have a unique opportunity to connect with members, and potential members via social media.
Of course, the more a church connects with the public via technology, the more questions arise regarding openness. For example, what does a church leader do when someone openly criticizes the church (or the leader) via social media? What if the criticism is on the churches’ Facebook page or pastors’ blog? Is the criticism deleted? Is it left visible and is the criticism responded to publicly? Is the problem addressed privately? Are the settings changed to no longer allow comments?
As you can imagine from the title “Open Leadership,” Li is an advocate of organizations being transparent with the public via social media. She proposes that leaving criticisms visible adds authenticity, even credibility to an organization.
There are limits to this openness. Personal insults, profanity, sexual harassment, etc. are not acceptable and should be deleted. A good rule of thumb, Li points out, is to ask yourself “how would I address this person in my office?” If they began screaming insults and threating harm, you probably would not address their problem. You would ask them to leave. Yet, if someone came to your office with a legitimate grievance, you would hear them out and respond.
SANDBOX COVENANTS
Li proposes that organizations allow a wide variety of employees to represent the organization online. She suggests that they create “sandbox covenants” so that employees know what the boundaries are as they decide what to post on social media on behalf of the organization.
Here is Li’s discussion of sandbox covenants:
The reality is, churches are organizations where a lot of the work is done by volunteers. Most churches are not able to afford a social media director. In some cases, the pastor/staff member contributes online. In others, church member volunteers to manage a Facebook page, etc. If multiple users represent the church via social media, do they know the boundaries? Should they post personal information about church members or just items of church programming? Are political issues discussed? Are there guidelines for discussing businesses or other organizations? Are controversial theological issues tackled online?
CONCLUSION
The church is in the communication business. This is echoed Jesus’s final words to the church
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV)
If we are to GO and TEACH, then we are communicators. If we are communicators, should we utilize contemporary communication methods as we represent Christ to the world? I think so.
OPEN LEADERSHIP BY CHARLENE LI, AUDIOBOOK
About the Author
Stu Cocanougher
13 responses to “Open Communication and the Local Church”
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Good point Stu- the more methods we can use to communicate the love of Jesus, the better.
That United video is hysterical! What a creative way to express his disappointment and to get heard. I bet they wish they listened to him. It’s refreshing to see how he could get the attention he wanted and needed.
You also raise a lot of good questions about how open can churches be when it comes to criticism? People can be more insensitive when they post things online than when they talk directly to the person. If open communication is encouraged, might not be a bad idea to set guidelines for expression.
Remember, United breaks guitars….catchy tune.
Stu, I liked your analysis of how churches can use this technology. Our church just finally got a blog site. One thing I’ve noticed is that old people like me are scared of technology. So, I think that we need to be careful how much social media we push so the old folks don’t feel left out.
Of course, as Li says, social media is here to stay. The elderly will eventually pass on to where they will see and know everything and won’t need it!!!!
But as you say, the rest of us should try and catch on and take advantage of it especially as a tool to take the message of the Gospel everywhere.
Mary, in our church many of the senior adults spend a lot of time on Facebook. For some, it is a great way to stay in touch with adult kids who live away and their grandkids.
Social media (Facebook, Youtube, etc) has a lot of potential for ministry to elderly shut-ins. Something as simple as daily Facebook updates are meaningful to elderly adults who rarely leave their homes.
Another thing, as I travel on mission trips, a lot of the senior adults tell me how much that they enjoy my pictures that I post on Facebook. They tell me that they feel that they are going with us.
Great post Stu! You make an excellent point about the volunteer nature of the church and the staffing required to have a full-out social media presence that fosters openness. It can happen but it does take a lot of work and it is a challenge. One of the things you point out and that I too like about Li’s approach is the idea that leadership is the key to the social media presence. The social media landscape is changing so rapidly it’s hard to keep ahead of it. But I do think the checklist Li provides is a great place to start and very helpful for leaders. Thanks Stu.
I think the key is realizing the potential. In the time that the pastor takes to write one thoughtful letter to one church member per work day, a blog post or Facebook update can be written to communicate to dozens, maybe hundreds.
I would have liked to listen to this book so that I could really take it in, Stu. There is so much here that it is hard to digest, so I imagine it will be one of those that I will be going back to after the program is done.
You raised a great point: “Can church leaders verbalize a strategy for their online presence?”
You are correct that most churches can’t afford a media director, but developing a strategy costs only time if we do our homework well. I am uncomfortable with the idea of casting pastors in the role of social media experts, but not at all with the idea of tasking our leaders with developing a strategy and working with their churches to implement it. Li’s book really sets the stage for that!
While a pastor may not need to be a social media expert…they often fill the role as “chief communicator and vision castor.” If that is the case, social media can be an incredibly valuable tool for communication.
Thanks Stu.
Local churches are unique organizations in the realm of social media. Sure, we have our “official” church pages, with the level of openness determined by a staff member or designated volunteer. But, because we are, by our nature, a collection of individuals, we each have the capability on social media to be a voice/face of the church. This has its own challenges for the local church– a single member can build up or tear down the public presence of the church. How can we as leaders foster openness on social media sites not run by “official” leadership (ie. Jane Smith’s Instagram page)?
“How can we as leaders foster openness on social media sites not run by ‘official’ leadership?”
If any individual has the ability to speak for the church, that person has a very important responsibility. Communications need to be similar to something spoken in a church service. For example, an endorsement of a political candidate or frustrations with a local business might be appropriate for an individual’s Facebook page, but this would be inappropriate for a church’s social media posts.
Hey Stu,
As you speak on social media criticism and how the church response to it is truly something to think about.
Pastors are not exempt from being attached or given harsh criticism. Most of the criticism comes from those outside the church based on what they have seen or read on social media. We live in a critical society that looks to break you down rather than build you up.
So as a church leader you must not only present yourself as Christ-like before your staff and congregation, the world is also your pulpit.
Although my heart bleeds for those who have been brutally criticized on social media, I admire those who responded Christ-like. They remained humble before God and Man.
It’s a rough life!!!
Thanks for the post
“So as a church leader you must not only present yourself as Christ-like before your staff and congregation, the world is also your pulpit.”
Yes, but what an opportunity! To be able to respond to public criticism with public grace and humility. What a testimony.
Stu you pose some great questions in uour post. When I was doing consulting, I found that many Faith-based organizations did not fully understand social media nor did they have someone who could support them in maintaining an open presence with their followers. It is a challenge. Many leaders thought that by having a page or handle they were engaging. Unfortunately, that is not true. Also, you raise the question about multiple admins or voices on the same page. A strategy must be created and a proper team must be formed in order to create a sustainable presence.
The larger the church staff, the bigger this issue becomes. Serving at a multi staff church, I see so many visions for social media. Without a person at the help, or a detailed set of guidelines, social media can cause stress among staff.